Gwynn Rips Clark, Cites `Jealousy`

March 5, 1991|By BOB NIGHTENGALE, Los Angeles Times

YUMA, Ariz. -- All-Star outfielder Tony Gwynn says that he believes the San Diego Padres made up a story last season in an attempt to squelch his feud with Jack Clark, and blames management for failing to mediate the conflict with his former teammate.

Gwynn, in a 30-minute admonishment Sunday, also publicly ripped Clark for the first time, saying that Clark`s continual criticism of him simply is the result of jealousy.

It was Gwynn`s accusations that the Padres lied in an attempt to hide the mutilated doll incident, however, that was most intriguing.

The Padres announced in the final week of the 1990 season that an internal investigation determined a groundskeeper was responsible for the placement of a mutilated doll of Gwynn in the dugout. The doll had a noose around its neck and was hanging by a rusty chain.

When the Padres announced their findings, they said the groundskeeper would remain anonymous, but that he would personally apologize to Gwynn. It has been five months, and Gwynn has yet to receive an apology. Although Gwynn refuses to indict any teammates, he believes the Padres lied in a cover-up.

``I don`t believe (the Padres` story), not for a minute,`` Gwynn said. ``I never believed it in the first place. The owners, they covered it up, and they made things worse.``

Gwynn said that he was telephoned by Padres President Dick Freeman before the announcement, who informed him of the culprit, but said the club simply was attempting a cover-up.

``When Dick called me,`` Gwynn said, ``he told me, `Tony, the heat`s on us. We`ve got to make this announcement.`

``I said, `I know the heat`s on you. Go ahead and do what you have to do.```

When contacted Sunday at his home in La Jolla, Freeman denied that their discovery was fabricated, and maintained that a groundskeeper was responsible.

``It`s as simple as that. That was the end of it.``

Gwynn also blames the Padre management for allowing his feud with Clark to fester the entire season. As soon as he was accused by Clark of being selfish, Gwynn said the feud should have been halted by Jack McKeon, then-Padres manager.

``Jack was manager when this thing started,`` Gwynn said. ``Where was he? He was the one in charge. He should have said, `Keep your mouth shut.`

``But it just kept going and going and going.``

And it has yet to cease. Although he`s 3,000 miles away in Winter Haven, with the Boston Red Sox, Clark continues to publicly criticize Gwynn, with the latest statement coming over the weekend.

``I would have liked to have been back just for the fact to get in his face some more,`` Clark told reporters in Winter Haven.

Gwynn, who had been listening to Clark`s criticism for nearly nine months without responding, decided Sunday that he could no longer remain quiet.

``I`m tired of being on the defensive. If you want to know the bottom line, it`s that he`s jealous,`` Gwynn said. ``That`s how all this got started, jealousy. The man was afraid I was going to be making more money than he was. They were talking about an extension with me, and they weren`t talking with him.``

In the end, Gwynn wound up receiving a three-year, $12.25 million contract extension from the Padres. Clark signed a three-year contract with the Boston Red Sox that will guarantee him $8.7 million, and could be worth as much as $10.3 million.